This invention relates to insulators for supporting an electrified conductor wire used in electric fences in a horizontal position and more particularly an insulator capable of mounting on either a vertical post or on the diagonal wires of a chain link fence.
Insulators for supporting electrified conductor wires in a horizontal position are provided in a variety of forms for supporting the conductor wires horizontally from metal or wooden posts or from chain link fences. Insulators for supporting electrified conductor wires from either vertical metal posts or from a chain link fence have been known since the grant of U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,780 to Robert M. Wilson. Although this patent discloses the support of insulators from vertical posts, both were sold and used for mounting on chain link fences. In such fences, the wires of the fence are disposed at a diagonal and form a generally diamond shaped pattern. When used with such chain link fences, the attaching arms of the insulator unit that are normally engagable with opposed vertical sides of a metal vertical post are attached to a pair of adjacent diagonal wires of a chain link fence. Such mounting displaced the conductor supporting portion approximately 45 degrees but was easily remedied by rotating the conductor supporting portion relative to the remaining separate parts of the insulator so that the wires could be supported horizontally. With the advent of plastics, electric fence insulators began being made as a single unit rather than of multiple parts thereby avoiding the costs of labor-intensive assembly. One example of a unitary insulator adapted for use with chain link fences is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,255. In that patent the mounting structure for holding the unit to a chain link fence and the insulator for supporting the wire in the horizontal position are displaced approximately 45 degrees and are fixed in that position relative to each other. As a consequence, this insulator is suitable only for use with a chain link fence and a different insulator is required for mounting on vertical posts in order to maintain a conductor wire in a horizontal position in both instances.
There is a need for a unitary insulator, which can be mounted on either a vertical post or on diagonal wires of a chain link fence to obviate the need to have two different insulators available.
It is an object of the invention to provide a unitary insulator for supporting an electrified conductor wire in a horizontal position from either a vertical post or from a chain link fence having crossed, diagonal wires.
Another object of the invention is to provide an insulator having a conductor wire holding portion, which prevents the accidental removal of the conductor wire from the holding portion in any of its operative positions.
The objects of the invention attained by an insulator formed as a single homogenous unit of non-conducive plastic material in which a mounting structure including a pair of deflectable fingers are arranged to engage and grip either the opposed vertical edges of a post or an adjacent pair of diagonal wires of a chain link fence. In either of its positions the insulator supports an electrified conductor wire of an electric fence without interference from any portion of the insulator by means of a pair of conductor holding elements fixed in spaced apart relation to receive a conductor wire therebetween and to support it without axial resistance in a horizontally extending passage from which removal is prevented except intentionally.